Chapter 14Verse 6 of 27

Bhagavad Gita 14.6

तत्र सत्त्वं निर्मलत्वात्प्रकाशकमनामयम् । सुखसङ्गेन बध्नाति ज्ञानसङ्गेन चानघ ॥ ६ ॥

tatra sattvaṁ nirmalatvāt prakāśakam anāmayam | sukha-saṅgena badhnāti jñāna-saṅgena cānagha ||6||

Translation

Of these, sattva, being pure, is illuminating and healthy. It binds, O sinless one, by attachment to happiness and by attachment to knowledge.

Sattva is the most attractive of the three. It feels good: clear, bright, free of illness, full of insight. Most pilgrims, when their practice starts to work, land here and want to stay. Krishna's warning is precise. Sattva does bind, even though its bond is silken. Attachment to the happiness sattva produces, or to the knowledge sattva produces, is still attachment. The bondage is gentle and almost invisible. A seeker can spend a lifetime in sattvic conditions, mistaking the silken cord for freedom. The verse names the trap so it can be spotted: sukha-sanga, jnana-sanga, both still sanga.

Reflection

When have you mistaken a good mood or a clear insight for permanent freedom?

Read this verse in its chapter: Chapter Fourteen

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